More than 22 new BEST buses have been rotting at Pratiksha Nagar bus depot in Sion following a dispute between the undertaking and the contractor. While MNS leaders protested at the depot on Tuesday, BEST committee members said that it was unfair of the BEST administration to sign long-term contracts which contractors eventually cannot afford.

Explaining the controversy, BEST committee member Sunil Ganacharya said that these 22 buses were from one of the very first contracts entered into by the undertaking a few years ago. “However, at a later point the contractor realised that it was not economical to run buses and hence stopped plying the buses. The BEST has also formally ended the contract, but these 20-25 buses are still counted as part of the BEST’s fleet,” he said.